THQ, one of the most prominent publishers of its time, filed for bankruptcy in December 2012 and liquidated its assets the following month. Its most high-profile franchises were auctioned off, including Darksiders, Red Faction, Titan Quest, MX vs. ATV and a host of others that were picked up at auction by the relatively unknown Austrian publisher, Nordic Games. The company also acquired the THQ trademark in 2014.
After spending $4.9 million to acquire THQ’s back catalog, the company knew that the biggest question in on many people’s minds (and headlines) was “who the f*ck is Nordic?” The company has worked to answer that question by growing significantly. It will release a remastered edition of the Darksiders collection (called the Warmastered Edition) for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC this holiday season, and it is publishing the PC retail release of the hit game, Quantum Break later this month.
Last August at Gamescom, the company revived the THQ brand by incorporating it. The publisher, now called THQ Nordic, recognizes the significance of having those properties while keeping its roots. It celebrated the occasion by releasing Titan Quest Anniversary Edition, a remastered version of the 2006 PC action role-playing game. Bringing back the 10-year-old game was a major event for fans because owners of the original game on Steam, which numbered at over one million, got the Anniversary Edition added to their accounts for free. Furthermore, those that didn’t own it could pick it up at a deep discount ($5) for a limited time.
Philipp Brock, PR and marketing director at THQ Nordic, talked to [a]listdaily about why the company decided to rebrand itself after so many years.
“Now that we have lived with the THQ catalogue for a few years, we truly feel the significance of IPs like Darksiders, MX vs. ATV and Titan Quest,” Brock said. “Our team felt it was important to elevate that part of our portfolio. THQ Nordic is meant to quite literally remind people that: 1. We are home to many coveted THQ IPs that we plan to expand upon and 2. Our roots as a Swedish company are strong—we have a robust portfolio of IP separate from the THQ catalogue such as Elex, The Guild III and Battle Chasers: Nightwar that demonstrates that.”
Brock went into further detail about how acquiring the THQ properties changed the company. “The acquisition has already had a lasting impact on us—hell, we even changed our name! I’m happy to say that the core THQ Nordic team remains intact, but we’re now working with some amazing developers that we haven’t worked with before. We’re also expanding our publishing efforts to ensure every campaign receives the support it requires. We also have some really pretty Darksiders banners and giant figures adorning our office in Vienna.”
When asked about what led to the decision to develop Titan Quest Anniversary, then give it away for free or at a very steep discount, Brock responded, “We love Titan Quest, and we are stoked to introduce the experience to more gamers, first and foremost. We also think it’s important to reward the fans. Players will see more and more of that across all of our franchises.”
As to why Titan Quest was chosen specifically to coincide with the company’s rebranding, Brock stated that “all of these rich franchises with large and vibrant fan communities lend themselves to Anniversary and Remastered Editions or Compilations. We’re not picking and choosing, though. The Darksiders Warmastered Edition will be available for the holiday!”
Additionally, Brock explained that the main reason IPs such as Darksiders, Red Faction and Titan Quest continue to engage fans after so many years is because they present gamers with something unique and memorable.
“That may sound generic, but we believe that’s what it comes down to in entertainment,” Brock said. “Whether it’s a character or an environment or a vehicle or a weapon or a combat system, each of those games had their own way of pulling players in and not letting them go. Story obviously plays a huge role, especially in Darksiders. It’s fun to see fans of the franchises at shows and hear them describe specific moments from the games—they’re excited and sentimental reminiscing about their experiences.”
So the big question is: do people now know “who the F” THQ Nordic is?
“We sure hope so,” Brock said. “We are so grateful for the reception we had to our rebrand announcement at Gamescom. It really underscored why the catalogue acquisition was the right one for our company’s future. Whatever the antithesis of the apocalypse is, that’s what THQ Nordic’s future looks like right now.”
